Why Did The Lawn Guide Blackout On April 6

The Lawn Guide blacked out on 6 April 2012 in protest against criminal elements operating within the Australian Turf Industry.

The following is the original notice of this blackout we provided to our readers.

Why Are We Doing This

The Australian Turf Industry currently has a small presence of criminality operating within the industry. A presence which can only be described as evil and emanating from only a single small source, but a source which is presently highly influential and highly funded.

Australian lawn owners beware
Mis-information about lawns now abounds

Grass Types In Australia

I have recently found some highly disturbing information online about the origins and traits of grass types in Australia. The information was disturbing because it was on a website which was owned by people who know the truth, and instead chooses to spread falsehoods in order to sell more of their own grass. And the information was BRAND NEW.

So be warned…

What I'm about to publish are FACTS… and the only people who will contradict them, either…

Changing lawn facts into fantasy isn't magic
It's mis-information and deception

A Warning About Mis-Information About Lawns

Australian lawn owners are currently under attack with a campaign of deception and mis-information about lawns, as has never been done before by any other industry.

Massive amounts of preposterous mis-information is now being spread about lawn types and lawn care on a scale so large, so well organised, and so well funded that it is impossible to believe that the entire turf, lawn and horticultural industries aren't all coming out in protest to have all this mis-information shut down right now.

Neither do we understand why industry bodies are allaowing this to occur.

Simple ideas to save our turf industry

Beginning A New Discussion Within The Turf Industry

It is not the intent of this article to tell anyone how to run their business. What we're discussing here are a few ideas which seem to make common sense for the ongoing survival of the turf industry and lawn care industry in Australia. Take em, leave em, laugh at em or think some more about these ideas, it's food for thought at a time when the growing of lawns, and the eventual sale of lawns is under massive threat and getting worse.

Securing a continuing, safe and environmentally friendly future for the entire turf industry, and lawn care industry begins with each individual person and business to take control of their own destiny and begin sharing the most honest information possible with homeowners and government alike.

Shademaster - the original soft leaf buffalo was
a great grass 20 years ago

A History of Shademaster

Shademaster Buffalo was introduced in the 1990's as the original Soft Leaf Buffalo Grass in Australia. Shademaster appeared at a time when common Buffalo grass was beginning to die away in popularity from days of old due to it's scratchy nature and heavy thatching that Australians had now had enough of.

At the same time that Buffalo was fading into history, exciting new varieties of improved Couch grass were now on the scene. These new couches were cheap and were a massive improvement from the old Couch types. Naturally, many people now began switching to these new Couch grasses.

That was until Shademaster Buffalo appeared on the scene.

The environmental nuisance of common Kikuyu

Why Common Kikuyu Still Sells

Old style common Kikuyu still remains an ongoing seller on the East Coast of Australia, which is mainly due to it's cheap price when compared to other quality turf grasses. This same popularity also continues due to many people's ongoing knowledge of the grass families of the past, mainly being Buffalo, Kikuyu, Couch and Queensland Blue.

Understanding Couch Grass In Queensland

Like so many other aspects of Australian life, prior to the onset of modern and instant communications, each region of Australia often developed it's own names for the same varieties of plants, fish, wildlife and other things which many regions share in common.

And the same is true when it comes to Couch grass.

With the introduction of Digitaria didactyla as a new lawn to Australia which was imported from South Africa, it was quickly named to Queensland Blue Couch, where it had grown and flourished under prime and optimum conditions for it's growth as a lawn.

The Truth About Australian Grass Lawns

As someone who puts a lot of focus into lawns in Australia I often look much deeper into many parts of the lawn industry, lawn types and even the advertising and other claims made on grass company websites.

And it's looking into these grass company claims that really does raise many concerns for me personally, and I would imagine would do the same for many other Australians if they were more informed about our grasses and lawns.

Common Kikuyu invading Buffalo

Is Your Buffalo Really A Buffalo Anymore?

If your Buffalo lawn isn't looking quite as it should, and you're noticing that some parts of the lawn are outgrowing other areas, then it may be time to take a closer look into your lawn to discover exactly what is happening.

Because your beautiful Buffalo lawn may actually now be mainly Kikuyu!!!

Finding A Lawn Replacement

There are many areas of our yards that really do go unused for the purposes of why we have lawns. And the reason we have lawns is to have them be walked on, played on, picnicked on, having a family game of cricket on and so forth.

The other reason we have lawns is for their landscaping appeal and beauty. And for those of us who look deeper into the entire picture of lawns, we also know that they reduce the temperatures of our homes, and thereby reduce air conditioning costs to the home, as well as create massive amounts of clean fresh oxygen each and every day by cleaning and transforming the pollution from the air in the cities in which we live.

So let's look into some one great lawn, and some other lawn alternatives for those unused areas of the yard.